Have you ever looked enviously at a girl's perfectly manicured hands and wondered "How does she do that?!" This article may not show you what she does, but this trick will have you looking even better.

Steps

1

File your nails. Make sure to file from the centre of the nail's edge to the outer corners, so as not to damage them.

2

Clean your nails. Add polish remover onto a piece of cotton and wipe away any previous nail polish and dirt from your nails. Also clean any dirt that is under your nails.

3

Wash your hands thoroughly. This removes the destructive oil and dirt, as well as the polish remover.

4

Apply Vaseline around your nails. Be sure not to get any of it onto the actual nail; only on the cuticles and parts surrounding it.

5

Paint on your base coat and wait for it to dry.

6

Paint your nails with your chosen colour. Two or three coats is the optimum amount. No need to be neat about painting your nails at this stage at all! Give it time to dry between each coat.

7

Apply the top coat. This gives your nails a beautiful shine. Wait for this to dry completely, before moving on to the fun stage!

8

Use the edge of your thumbnail to scrape off every trace of nail polish that did not make it onto your actual nail. The Vaseline makes it slide off very easily. To reiterate, only do this once you are sure your nails are completely dry.

9

You should now have polish-free cuticles and a super-neat manicure (or pedicure)!

Community Q&A

Keep them neatly filed (no rough edges) and always keep polish on them even if it's only clear. Exception: In a profession that doesn't allow polish (i.e. nurse), keep them filed and use a graduated grain file (4 in block file: trim, shape,polish,buff) and your nails will grow. Massage coconut oil into your nails and cuticles.